Demand-driven, collaborative systems and processes for collecting structured information

ABSTRACT

A demand driven process of collecting and collaborating around reviews including the steps of: receiving a request for a review from a requestor, associating one or more potential responders with the request for a review, providing the request for a review to one or more potential responders, receiving and organizing one or more reviews from the responders, providing access to the organized reviews to the requestor and to the responders, and updating the accessible organized reviews as additional reviews are received, all electronically. An arrangement for the same includes user computers for receiving requests for a review, network communication devices for transmitting the requests to potential responders, memory for storing electronic reviews and a controller for organizing, updating, and providing access to the electronic reviews.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/890,653, filed Feb. 20, 2007, entitled “Methodand system for collecting structured input and reviews,” which is hereinincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments relate generally to systems and processes forcollecting demand-driven structured information. More specifically, thepresent subject matter relates to systems and processes forcollaborative collection of structured information, such asrecommendations, ratings and reviews, by electronically requestingand/or collecting input from identified responders.

BACKGROUND

Product and service recommendations and reviews can be beneficial topeople when making purchase decisions. Currently, sites such as CNET.comand Amazon.com are popular for the recommendation, rating and reviewcontent they have. Other popular sites, such as yelp.com andepinions.com are wholly dedicated to providing a place for people toreview, rate and recommend product and services. However, consumers ofthese recommendations, ratings and reviews often don't know whichrecommendations, ratings or reviews to trust as they are authored orprovided by anonymous or unknown individuals. Further, what isrecommended for one person may not be applicable to another, and soconsumers have a difficult time ascertaining if the recommended, ratedor reviewed product or service is best for them, specifically. Finally,for many products or services (or classes thereof), there is little tono recommendation, rating or review content in the public domain.

Further, structured product and service information with explicitattribute detail that results from demand-driven collaboration betweentwo or more parties can be beneficial in a variety of ways, such as whenmaking purchase decisions. Currently, people sometimes use email to askfriends for input on a product or service, and through a series of“reply-alls” a conversation takes place—however, the information isunfortunately not at all structured or attribute driven, nor does itleverage the information already available in the public domain (emailis simply subject & body). Wikis are also sometimes used forcollaboration between two or more parties, but the structure of theinformation is amorphous (a significant amount of effort is required tostructure a wiki to be attribute oriented, and even then, it can notintelligently access information in the public domain), and theinformation itself is “supply driven” in the sense that supply drivenrefers to information that is supplied for an incentive (e.g., money,reputation, the greater good, etc), not “demand driven” (e.g., inresponse to a request) Accordingly, neither email, nor a wiki nor anyother tool currently in commercial production is the appropriate toolfor two or more parties to use when making a product or servicerecommendation, or providing ratings and reviews, in a collaborative,structured way.

Also, people often will consult with friends, family, colleagues, andothers for product or service information, but will do so in anun-collaborative way, such as through in-person conversations, phoneconversations, or individual emails or text messages. In these cases,not every member of the conversation can see or respond to what othermembers are saying or suggesting. Further, these methods are inefficientand unstructured; no existing tool is built or optimized for thisbehavior.

Therefore, there exists a clear need for a demand-driven method tocollect collaborative, structured, trusted, and personalized product andservice information to, for example, aid people in making product andservice purchase decisions.

SUMMARY

The above and other needs are met by the disclosed embodiments whichprovide systems and processes for collecting structured product andservice information. Some of the solutions provided utilize email,phone, SMS (short message service), IM (instant messaging), socialnetworks, or other communication platforms. Individuals access thesystems and initiate a request for information, specifying (1) what theywould like input on (including any relevant attributes), and (2) whothey would like input from. The request is then distributed to theidentified parties. As input is received and collected by the system,the individual can access the collaborative, structured input in anorganized way, which may be wrapped with additional content (e.g.,expert opinions, purchase options, etc.).

In one example, the disclosed embodiments solve these problems, at leastin part, by utilizing an arrangement for collecting and collaboratingaround reviews. The arrangement includes a controller and associatedmemory in communication with one or more user computers via one or morenetwork communication devices. The controller is adapted for: receivingan electronic request for a review from a first user computer,associating one or more potential responders with the request for areview using at least the information received from the first usercomputer or information stored in the memory, providing the request fora review to the potential user in an electronic format accessible viathe user computers, receiving and organizing in the memory one or moreelectronic reviews from the responders, providing access to theorganized electronic reviews to the requestor and to the responders inan electronic format accessible via the user computers, and updating theaccessible organized electronic reviews in the memory as additionalreviews are received.

In another example, the disclosed embodiments solve these problems, atleast in part, utilizing a computer-readable medium havingcomputer-executable instructions for collecting and collaborating aroundreviews, the computer-executable instructions performing the steps of:receiving an electronic request for a review from a requestor,associating one or more potential responders with the request, providingthe request to the one or more potential responders in an electronicformat, receiving and organizing one or more reviews from theresponders, providing access to the organized reviews to the requestorand to the responders, all electronically, and updating the accessibleorganized electronic reviews as additional reviews are received.

In yet another example, the disclosed embodiments solve these problems,at least in part, by a process of collecting structured product andservice information, the process including the steps of: receiving anelectronic request for a review from a requester, associating one ormore potential responders with the request, providing the request to thepotential responders via an electronic format, receiving and organizingone or more electronic reviews from the responders, providing access tothe organized electronic reviews to the requestor and to the respondersin an electronic form, and updating the accessible organized electronicreviews as additional reviews are received.

In a further example, the disclosed embodiments solve these problems, atleast in part, by utilizing an arrangement for collecting structuredproduct and service information. The arrangement includes a controllerand associated memory in communication with one or more user computersvia one or more network communication devices. The controller is adaptedfor: receiving an electronic request for information a specific productor service, attribute thereof, or class thereof from a requestor via afirst user computer, associating one or more potential responders withthe request for information using at least the information received fromthe first user computer or information stored in the memory, providingthe request for information to the potential user via an electronicformat accessible via the user computers, receiving and organizing inthe memory one or more electronic responses from the responders; andproviding access to the organized electronic responses to the requestorin an electronic form accessible via the user computers.

In a still further example, the earlier stated needs and others arefurther met by still other disclosed embodiments that enable acomputer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions forcollecting structured product and service information, thecomputer-executable instructions causing the arrangement to perform thesteps of: receiving a request for information from a requester, wherethe requested information is about a specific product or service,attribute thereof, or class thereof, associating one or more potentialresponders with the request, providing the request to the potentialresponders, receiving and organizing the responses, all electronically,and providing the organized electronic responses to the requestor.

In another example, the earlier stated needs and others may further bemet by a process of collecting and collaborating around reviews, theprocess including the steps of: receiving an electronic request forinformation about a specific product or service, attribute thereof, orclass thereof from a requestor, associating one or more potentialresponders with the request for information, providing the request forinformation to the potential responders via an electronic format,receiving and organizing one or more electronic responses from theresponders, and providing the organized electronic responses to therequester.

Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the examples willbe set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings or may be learned byproduction or operation of the examples. The objects and advantages ofthe concepts may be realized and attained by means of the methodologies,instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord withthe present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations.In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similarelements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a system for collecting structured information.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting a method of collecting structuredinformation.

FIG. 3 is another flow chart depicting a method of collecting structuredinformation.

FIGS. 4-10 are sample representations of webpage diagrams that may beutilized in one example of a system and/or method of collectingstructured information.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It is contemplated that the subject matter described herein may beembodied in many forms. Accordingly, the embodiments described in detailbelow are the presently preferred embodiments, and are not to beconsidered limitations.

In one example, the disclosed embodiments solve these problems, at leastin part, by utilizing an arrangement for collecting and collaboratingaround reviews. The arrangement includes a controller and associatedmemory in communication with one or more user computers via one or morenetwork communication devices. The controller is adapted for: receivingan electronic request for a review from a first user computer,associating one or more potential responders with the request for areview using at least the information received from the first usercomputer or information stored in the memory, providing the request fora review to the potential user in an electronic format accessible viathe user computers, receiving and organizing in the memory one or moreelectronic reviews from the responders, providing access to theorganized electronic reviews to the requestor and to the responders inan electronic format accessible via the user computers, and updating theaccessible organized electronic reviews in the memory as additionalreviews are received.

In another example, the disclosed embodiments solve these problems, atleast in part, utilizing a computer-readable medium havingcomputer-executable instructions for collecting and collaborating aroundreviews, the computer-executable instructions performing the steps of:receiving an electronic request for a review from a requester,associating one or more potential responders with the request, providingthe request to the one or more potential responders in an electronicformat, receiving and organizing one or more reviews from theresponders, providing access to the organized reviews to the requesterand to the responders, all electronically, and updating the accessibleorganized electronic reviews as additional reviews are received.

In yet another example, the disclosed embodiments solve these problems,at least in part, by a process of collecting structured product andservice information, the process including the steps of: receiving anelectronic request for a review from a requestor, associating one ormore potential responders with the request, providing the request to thepotential responders via an electronic format, receiving and organizingone or more electronic reviews from the responders, providing access tothe organized electronic reviews to the requestor and to the respondersin an electronic form, and updating the accessible organized electronicreviews as additional reviews are received.

In a further example, the disclosed embodiments solve these problems, atleast in part, by utilizing an arrangement for collecting structuredproduct and service information. The arrangement includes a controllerand associated memory in communication with one or more user computersvia one or more network communication devices. The controller is adaptedfor: receiving an electronic request for information a specific productor service, attribute thereof, or class thereof from a requestor via afirst user computer, associating one or more potential responders withthe request for information using at least the information received fromthe first user computer or information stored in the memory, providingthe request for information to the potential user via an electronicformat accessible via the user computers, receiving and organizing inthe memory one or more electronic responses from the responders; andproviding access to the organized electronic responses to the requestorin an electronic form accessible via the user computers.

In a still further example, the earlier stated needs and others arefurther met by still other disclosed embodiments that enable acomputer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions forcollecting structured product and service information, thecomputer-executable instructions causing the arrangement to perform thesteps of: receiving a request for information from a requester, wherethe requested information is about a specific product or service,attribute thereof, or class thereof, associating one or more potentialresponders with the request, providing the request to the potentialresponders, receiving and organizing the responses, all electronically,and providing the organized electronic responses to the requestor.

In another example, the earlier stated needs and others may further bemet by a process of collecting and collaborating around reviews, theprocess including the steps of: receiving an electronic request forinformation about a specific product or service, attribute thereof, orclass thereof from a requester, associating one or more potentialresponders with the request for information, providing the request forinformation to the potential responders via an electronic format,receiving and organizing one or more electronic responses from theresponders, and providing the organized electronic responses to therequestor. FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 for implementing a demanddriven process for collecting structured information. As shown in FIG.1, the system 10 includes a controller 12, associated memory 14, networkcommunication devices 16 and user computers 18. The controller 12 may beincorporated in a host server or other computer system as will beunderstood in light of the present disclosure. The controller 12 may beprimarily responsible for executing the processes described herein, butis not required to be a dedicated controller 12. The memory 14associated with the controller 12 may be structured in database format.However, it is contemplated that the memory 14 may be in any form orstructure. As shown in FIG. 1, the network communication devices 16enable communication between the controller 12 and the user computers18. The network communication devices 16 may be any combination of wiredand/or wireless devices. All of the elements of the system 10 aredescribed in further detail below. The elements of the system 10 shownin FIG. 1 and described herein will be referenced in the description ofthe remaining figures.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting a process 200 of collecting structuredinformation. The process 200 shown in FIG. 2 utilizes the elements ofthe system 10 described above with respect to FIG. 1. As shown in FIG.2, the first step 202 includes receiving an electronic request forinformation from a requester. In the system 10 shown in FIG. 1, theelectronic request may be received by the controller 12 from a usercomputer 18 via the network communication devices 16. For example, theuser computer 18 may be a personal computer, cell phone, handheldcomputer, or any other computer. Although the requested information maybe any type of information, it is contemplated that in an example of theprocess 200 shown in FIG. 2, the requested information is a review of aspecific product or service, attribute thereof, or class thereof. Therequest for information can be structured in any of a number of variousways, such as, for example, star ratings and/or comments, thumbsup/thumbs down, etc., and can relate to any attributes of a product orservice, for example a restaurant's prices and/or quality of service.Further, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the requestor is any person orparty who initiates the request.

The second step 204 shown in FIG. 2 includes associating one or morepotential responders with the request for information. The one or morepotential responders may be provided to the controller 12 by the usercomputer 18 when the requestor makes the request in the first step 202.Alternatively, the one or more potential responders may be associatedwith the request by the controller 12 based on information stored in theassociated memory 14. Similarly, the one or more potential respondersmay be associated with the request using both of these techniques and/orin any other manner. In one example, the one or more potentialresponders may be contacts in the requestor's social network or e-maildistribution list.

The third step 206 shown in FIG. 2 includes providing the request forinformation to the one or more potential responders via an electronicformat. In this step 206, the controller 12 provides the request forinformation to various user computers 18 wherein the request may bereceived by the associated potential responders. The electronic formatmay be any electronic format. In a contemplated embodiment, theelectronic format may be electronic mail. In another embodiment, theelectronic format may be via a webpage. In another contemplatedembodiment the electronic format may be a notification within an onlinesocial networking environment. Additionally, the electronic format maybe an SMS message, instant message, automated voicemail message, anyother personal communications medium, etc. It is also contemplated thatthe request for information may be forwarded to others such that requestmay benefit from the viral distribution techniques of social networks oremail. It is also contemplated that when the one or more potentialresponders are associated with the request by the controller 12 based oninformation stored in the associated memory 14, as described above, therequest for information can be broadcast across one or more networks inone click. In other words, a user may push the request to the usercomputers 18 in one electronic step or action. For example, the requestmay be sent to an individuals' status message on services like Twitteror Facebook, an individual's blog, an individual's social networkingprofile, etc. This example may be useful when broadcasting requests togroups and communities.

The fourth step 208 shown in FIG. 2 includes receiving and organizingone or more electronic responses from the responders. In this step, thecontroller 12 organizes responses received from one or more usercomputers 18 with the corresponding requests. In one contemplatedexample, the controller 12 associates each response with a request andstores the response in the memory 14. Accordingly, the controller 12 mayaccess the responses for a given request as needed. Additionally, in atleast one contemplated embodiment, each request may initiate anaggregation of relevant additional content and information, via searchAPIs, affiliate links to “expert” sites, or other medium, based uponkeywords in requests (e.g., restaurant, camera, etc.), requests in theirentirety, etc., the results of which are further aggregated with theresponses in the fourth step 208. It is understood that additionalcontent can refer to anything from “expert” information (e.g., expertratings and expert reviews), helpful information (e.g., a definition),logistical information (e.g., a map), or actionable information (e.g., alink to a reservation service if the subject is a restaurant). In oneexample, the additional content sought by the controller 12 includesinformation linked or keyed off of the requested responders'information, such as, for example, their e-mail addresses. As a result,if a user's request is directed to information about products andservices in Argentina and one of the requested responders has written anumber of Argentina related reviews on a travel related web-site thatare linked to the requested responder's e-mail address, the controller12 may include those reviews in the aggregated responses. Additionally,the controller 12 may provide the existing reviews (keyed off the e-mailaddresses of the requested responders) to the user prior to the usersubmitting the request, such that is the existing information issufficient, the user may choose to not send the request for information.All of the aggregated information and data may then be sortable andsearchable within the memory 14. Further, it is contemplated that thevarious data collected may be related by the controller 12 such thattrails of requests and responses may be identified, collected, trackedor otherwise utilized.

The fifth step 210 shown in FIG. 2 includes providing the organizedelectronic responses to the requestor. As described above with respectto the third step 206, the electronic format may be any electronicformat. Also, the electronic format may be the same or a differentformat as the one used in the third step 206. In one contemplatedexample, the electronic format is a web page displaying the compiledresponses received to the present time. Accordingly, it is understoodthat the electronic format may encourage additional collaboration by theusers based on the content provided in the electronic format. In thisexample, collaboration is the process by which two or more parties orindividuals contribute to a conversation with a specific objective,synchronously and asynchronously, implicitly and explicitly. Forexample, each item and/or topic reviewed and/or discussed will have aninstance (e.g., a dedicated web page) which may be the repository of allreviews/comments/information for that item/topic.

Additionally, in examples in which the compiled information is publiclydisplayed, a user may review input that others have left withoutsubmitting a request. In other words, if someone wanted input on“carpenter” in their area, and someone else had already used the serviceto collect input on “carpenter” in that same area, the compiled dataprovided to the prior user may be made available to the new user,perhaps providing enough information for the new user that the new userwould choose not to initiate a request.

The system 10 and process 200 described above with respect to FIGS. 1and 2 may be embodied in many different forms and examples. Thefollowing description with reference to FIGS. 3-10 is an example ofcertain contemplated embodiments for purposes of further illustratingand providing context for the invention and not as a limiting example.

As shown in FIG. 3, the process 200 may be embodied in a serviceprovided, for example, through the internet. Accordingly, the process200 may include the steps described herein. In step one, 301 a user mayaccess the service via the Internet (e.g., a web page), their mobilephone (e.g., by placing a call, sending a text, etc.), through InstantMessage clients, and through other communication platforms. In theexample shown in FIG. 4, a client system 401 (user computer 18) sends arequest 402 to the server system 403 (controller 12) for a web page 404(“Start” page) from the service. The server system sends (405) this pageto the client system. This page has an input field in which the user canenter what he/she would like input on.

Then, in step two 302, the user identifies what he or she wants input on(e.g., “chill date restaurant” or “dentist”). As an extension of steptwo 302, the service then checks to see if input has been previouslyprovided on the identified topic. If so, that information can beincorporated into the responses herein. In the example shown in FIG. 5,on the “Start” webpage 501, the user enters into a text field whathe/she wants input on 502 and then activates the submission mechanism503 on the page, at which point the client system 504 submits the data505 to the server system 506. In this example, if the input field isempty, the server system will re-load the web page. If any characterswhatsoever have been entered into the text field, the server system willload 507 a different webpage, the “Create Request” web page 508, on theclient system 504. Everything input and submitted on or by the clientsystem 504 will be logged by the server system, so that even if a userabandons his/her request, the service will still have record of theevent.

It is contemplated that the type of information sought by the user mayinclude various types of information, whether in broad terms or morenarrow. In one example, the information sought may be reviews. A reviewmay broadly understood to be a review of a person, place or thing (e.g.,item, activity, etc.) or a recommendation or rating thereof. In anotherexample, the information sought may be more narrowly related only toproducts and services. Thus, various services may be developed andtailored to cater to the needs of users looking for various scopes ofinformation.

In step three 303, the individual identifies who he/she wants inputfrom. Depending upon how the service is accessed, the individual canspecify email addresses, phone numbers, names, screen names, or otheridentifiers. Also, if previous input has been left on the identifiedtopic (as determined in step two 302), then select results are displayedto the user as a preliminary response. In the example shown in FIG. 6,the “Create Request” webpage 601 loaded onto the client system presentsthe requestor with several tasks and options. The primary task for theuser is to input the email addresses of the parties the user would likeinput from 602. The secondary task for the user is to input his/her nameand email address (zip code is optional in this example) 603. Of course,there may be other tasks for the user.

Through step four 304, if the user chooses, he/she may customize therequest, for example, by: adding specific options related to therequest; customizing the text of the request; setting preferencesassociated with the request; etc. In the example shown in FIG. 7, The“Create Request” webpage 701 loaded onto the client system also hasseveral options around customization of the request. A first option forthe user is to specify how they would like the privacy of their requestto be handled 702. A second option for the user is to identify whatstructure to apply to the request, and provide additional information asit relates to the chosen structure (e.g., providing options forrecipients to rate 703). A third option for the user is to customize theemail message that will be sent to the specified recipients of therequest 704. Of course, there may be other options for the user. Uponcompletion of select required tasks as well as any non-required tasksand options, the user will execute submission of the input data from theclient system to the server system 705.

The request is then distributed to identified parties in step five 305.The request, as created by the requester, is distributed to the parties(individuals, groups, etc.) specified. If email addresses were provided,then emails are generated and sent; if phone numbers are provided,either voice messages or text messages are generated and sent; iforiginated on a social network or similar platform, messages will begenerated and sent; etc. In the example shown in FIG. 8, upon submission801 of the completed “Create Request” webpage 802 from the client system803 to the server system 804, the server system generates anddistributes the request to the identified parties 805. Morespecifically, the server system generates email messages (with eitherthe standard language or the language specified by the requester)containing hyperlinks back to the service, and then sends those emailmessages over the Internet to each of the parties that were identifiedby the requester on the “Create Request” page.

Next, in step six 306 the recipients of the request provide input asrequested. If the recipient chooses (and, in cases whether the requestercan set such preferences, the requestor has allowed), the recipient canalso forward the request to others. Input is then collected andorganized by the service in such a way that—again, if allowed by therequestor—each party sees what input has already been provided, and canadd more input (e.g., new options, responses to comments, etc.) in acollaborative way. When the request is forwarded to additionalrecipients, the request can be tracked and surfaced. In other words, ifperson A sends the original request to person B, and person B forwardsthe request to person C who then replies, person A may be able to seethat person B forwarded the request to person C to establish context andrelationship. In the example shown in FIG. 9, recipients receive emails901 from the requester. When recipients click on the hyperlinks back tothe service 902, the client system 903 requests 904 a specific “Input”page 905 (the address of the page identifies both the recipient as wellas the request) from the server system 906. The server system sends backthe appropriate input page 907. On that page 905, the recipient providesinput 908 as requested by the requester, and then activates thesubmission mechanism 909. The client system then transmits the inputdata to the server system 910, where it is saved.

Finally, in step seven 307, the input is viewed by the requester. Therequestor views the structured input provided by others in an organized,sortable and searchable way. Further, relevant input from prior requestsmade through the service will be displayed, alongside additional content(e.g., “expert” information from a host of sources). In the exampleshown in FIG. 10, the requestor accesses the service through his/herclient system 1001, and specifically requests 1002 the page with thecollected input 1003. The server system 1004 returns 1005 the data pageto the client system. The data page displays structured input in anorganized, sortable and searchable way, possibly wrapped with additionalcontent.

As shown by the above descriptions, aspects of the systems arecontrolled by one or more controllers. Typically, the one or morecontrollers are implemented by one or more programmable data processingdevices. The hardware elements, operating systems and programminglanguages of such devices are conventional in nature, and it is presumedthat those skilled in the art are adequately familiar therewith.Accordingly, any device that may be used to perform the functionsdescribed herein with respect to the controller may be substituted forthe controllers described in the examples above. For example, in someinstances the functions of the controller may be embodied inprogrammable instructions, for example, on a CD-ROM, a flash drive orany other memory.

For example, the controller may be a microprocessor in a portablearrangement, such as, for example, a cellular phone, a personal digitalassistant, an audio/video playing device, etc. These systems, includingmicroprocessors, are referred to generically herein as computer systems.In another example, the controller maybe a PC based implementation of acentral control processing system. The PC based system contains acentral processing unit (CPU), memories and an interconnect bus. The CPUmay contain a single microprocessor (e.g. a Pentium microprocessor), orit may contain a plurality of microprocessors for configuring the CPU asa multi-processor system. The other components of the computer systemdescribed above include memories, including a main memory, such as adynamic random access memory (DRAM) and cache, as well as a read onlymemory, such as a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, or the like. The systemalso includes mass storage devices such as various disk drives, tapedrives, etc. In operation, the main memory stores at least portions ofinstructions for execution by the CPU and data for processing in accordwith the executed instructions.

The mass storage may include one or more magnetic disk or tape drives oroptical disk drives, for storing data and instructions for use by CPU.For example, at least one mass storage system in the form of a diskdrive or tape drive stores the operating system and various applicationsoftware as well as data. The mass storage within the computer systemmay also include one or more drives for various portable media, such asa floppy disk, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), or anintegrated circuit non-volatile memory adapter (i.e. PC-MCIA adapter) toinput and output data and code to and from the computer system.

The computer system also includes one or more input/output interfacesfor communications, shown by way of example as an interface for datacommunications with one or more processing systems. Although not shown,one or more such interfaces may enable communications via a network,e.g., to enable sending and receiving instructions electronically. Thephysical communication links may be optical, wired, or wireless.

The computer system may further include appropriate input/output portsfor interconnection with a display and a keyboard serving as therespective user interface for the controller. For example, the computersystem may include a graphics subsystem to drive the output display. Theoutput display, for example, may include a cathode ray tube (CRT)display, or a liquid crystal display (LCD) or other type of displaydevice. Although not shown, a PC type system implementation typicallywould include a port for connection to a printer. The input controldevices for such an implementation of the computer system would includethe keyboard for inputting alphanumeric and other key information. Theinput control devices for the computer system may further include acursor control device (not shown), such as a mouse, a touchpad, atrackball, stylus, or cursor direction keys. The links of theperipherals to the computer system may be wired connections or usewireless communications.

The computer system runs a variety of applications programs and storesdata, enabling one or more interactions via the user interface provided,and/or over a network to implement the desired processing.

The components contained in the systems are those typically found ingeneral purpose computer systems. Although illustrated as a PC typedevice, those skilled in the art will recognize that the class ofapplicable computer systems also encompasses systems used as servers,workstations, network terminals, and the like. In fact, these componentsare intended to represent a broad category of such computer componentsthat are well known in the art.

A software or program product may take the form of code or executableinstructions for causing a computer or other programmable equipment toperform the relevant data processing steps, where the code orinstructions are carried by or otherwise embodied in a medium readableby a computer or other machine. Instructions or code for implementingsuch operations may be in the form of computer instruction in any form(e.g., source code, object code, interpreted code, etc.) stored in orcarried by any readable medium.

Terms relating to computer or machine “readable medium” that may embodyprogramming refer to any medium that participates in providing code orinstructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium may take manyforms, including but not limited to non-volatile media, volatile media,and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, opticalor magnetic disks, such as any of the storage devices in the computersystem. Volatile media include dynamic memory, such as main memory.Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber opticsincluding the wires that comprise a bus within a computer system.Transmission media can also take the form of electric or electromagneticsignals, or acoustic or light waves such as those generated during radiofrequency or infrared data communications. In addition to storingprogramming in one or more data processing elements, various forms ofcomputer readable media may be involved in carrying one or moresequences of one or more instructions to a processor for execution, forexample, to install appropriate software in a system intended to serveas the controller 14.

It should be noted that various changes and modifications to thepresently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention andwithout diminishing its attendant advantages.

1. A computer-implemented process, comprising: receiving from arequestor an electronic request for reviews that provide ratingsregarding quality of at least one of an indicated person, an indicatedplace and an indicated thing; in response to the received electronicrequest, identifying one or more potential responders based at least inpart on established relationships of the one or more potentialresponders with the requestor, wherein the established relationships ofthe one or more potential responders with the requestor are definedrelationships within a social networking platform; associating the oneor more potential responders with the received electronic request; andproviding the request to the associated one or more potential respondersin an electronic format, the providing of the request being performed bya configured computer system; in response to the request provided to theassociated one or more potential responders, receiving and organizingone or more electronic reviews from at least one of the associated oneor more potential responders, the received one or more electronicreviews each including at least one rating by one of the at least onepotential responders regarding quality of at least one of the indicatedperson, the indicated place, and the indicated thing, the receiving andorganizing of the electronic reviews being performed by the configuredcomputer system; receiving and organizing one or more additionalelectronic reviews that are sent by one or more additional potentialresponders who are distinct from the associated one or more potentialresponders, each of the one or more additional electronic reviewsincluding at least one rating by one of the one or more additionalpotential responders regarding quality of at least one of the indicatedperson, the indicated place, and the indicated thing, and wherein eachof the one or more additional electronic reviews is sent by a sendingone of the one or more additional potential responders in response toforwarding of the provided request to the sending one additionalpotential responder by a forwarding one of the associated one or morepotential responders, the receiving and organizing of the one or moreadditional electronic reviews being performed by the configured computersystem; for each of the one or more additional electronic reviews,tracking and indicating a relationship trail from the sending oneadditional potential responder who sent the additional electronic reviewback to the requestor via the forwarding one associated potentialresponder who performed the forwarding of the provided request to thesending one additional potential responder, the tracking of therelationship trail being performed by the configured computer system;and providing access to the organized electronic reviews in anelectronic form to the requestor and to the at least one of theassociated one or more potential responders, and updating the organizedelectronic reviews to include other additional electronic reviews thatare received after the providing of the access, the updating of theorganized electronic reviews being performed by the configured computersystem.
 2. The computer-implemented process of claim 1 wherein theconfigured computer system is associated with the social networkingplatform, and wherein the associating of the one or more potentialresponders with the received electronic request is performed by theconfigured computer system.
 3. The computer-implemented process of claim1 where the electronic request is received via a computer network. 4.The computer-implemented process of claim 1 wherein the electronicrequest for a review is received via a mobile communication device. 5.The computer-implemented process of claim 1 wherein the request from therequestor indicates contact information for the associated one or morepotential responders, and wherein the providing of the request uses theincluded contact information.
 6. The computer-implemented process ofclaim 5 wherein the contact information for the one or more potentialresponders is associated with an account of the requestor with thesocial networking platform.
 7. The computer-implemented process of claim1 further including associating additional electronic content with theone or more electronic reviews from the at least one of the associatedone or more potential responders and including the additional electroniccontent with the organized electronic reviews.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented process of claim 7 wherein the additionalelectronic content includes information that is not received in responseto the provided request, the included information being pulled frominformation previously collected by the social networking platform. 9.The computer-implemented process of claim 1 wherein the providing of therequest occurs at least partially through a personal communicationsmedium.
 10. The computer-implemented process of claim 1 whereinreceiving of the provided request by the at least one of the associatedone or more potential responders occurs at least partially via thesocial networking platform.
 11. The computer-implemented process ofclaim 1 further including providing functionality enabling forwarding ofthe provided request from one of the associated one or more potentialresponders to the one or more additional potential responders.
 12. Thecomputer-implemented process of claim 1 wherein the at least one of theindicated person, the indicated place, and the indicated thing includesat least one of an indicated product and an indicated service, andwherein at least one of the received electronic reviews each furtherincludes at least one comment by one of the at least one potentialresponders related to the at least one of the indicated product and theindicated service.
 13. The computer-implemented process of claim 1wherein the received electronic request is further for the reviews toprovide ratings for one or more attributes of the at least one of theindicated person, the indicated place, and the indicated thing, whereinthe other additional electronic reviews that are received include one ormore additional reviews that each have at least one rating by one of theat least one potential responders of at least one of the one or moreattributes of the at least one of the indicated person, the indicatedplace and the indicated thing, and wherein the process further comprisesproviding further access to the updated organized electronic reviews tothe requestor.
 14. A system, comprising: a memory; and a controllerassociated with the memory and in communication with one or more usercomputers via one or more network communication devices, wherein thecontroller is adapted for: receiving from a requestor via a first usercomputer an electronic request for reviews that provide evaluationsregarding one or more attributes of at least one of an indicated productand an indicated service; in response to the received electronicrequest, associating one or more potential users with the receivedrequest using at least one of the electronic request received from thefirst user computer and information stored in the memory, the associatedone or more potential users having established relationships with therequestor, and providing the request to the associated potential usersin an electronic format accessible via the one or more user computers;in response to the request provided to the associated potential users,receiving and organizing in the memory one or more electronic reviewsfrom at least one of the associated potential users, the received one ormore electronic reviews each including an evaluation by one of the atleast one potential users regarding at least one of the attributes of atleast one of the indicated product and the indicated service; receivingand organizing in the memory one or more additional electronic reviewsthat are sent by one or more additional users that are distinct from theassociated potential users, each of the received one or more additionalelectronic reviews including an evaluation by one of the one or moreadditional users regarding at least one of the attributes of at leastone of the indicated product and the indicated service, wherein the oneor more additional users send the received one or more additionalelectronic reviews in response to one or more of the associatedpotential users forwarding the provided request to the one or moreadditional users, and wherein the receiving and the organizing of theone or more additional electronic reviews includes tracking andindicating a relationship trail back from the one or more additionalusers to the requestor via the one or more associated potential userswho perform the forwarding; and providing to the requestor and to the atleast one of the associated potential users access to the organizedelectronic reviews in an electronic form accessible via the one or moreuser computers.
 15. The system of claim 14 wherein the associated one ormore potential users are automatically identified based on havingestablished friend relationships in an online social network with therequestor.
 16. The system of claim 14 wherein the controller is furtheradapted for including additional electronic content with the organizedelectronic reviews, updating the organized electronic reviews in thememory to reflect other additional electronic reviews that are received,and providing further access to the updated organized electronic reviewsto the requestor.
 17. The system of claim 14 wherein at least one of thereceived electronic reviews each further includes at least one commentby one of the at least one potential responders related to the at leastone of the indicated product and the indicated service.
 18. The systemof claim 14 wherein the one or more attributes of the at least one ofthe indicated product and the indicated service include quality of theat least one of the indicated product and the indicated service, andwherein the evaluations of the one or more attributes include ratings ofthe quality of the at least one of the indicated product and theindicated service.
 19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumhaving computer-executable instructions stored thereon, thecomputer-executable instructions configuring a computer system toperform the steps of: receiving from a requestor an electronic requestfor a review that provides ratings regarding one or more attributes ofat least one of an indicated product and an indicated service; inresponse to the received electronic request, identifying one or morepotential responders based at least in part on each of the associatedone or more potential responders having an established friendrelationship with the requestor in a social networking platform;associating the one or more potential responders with the receivedelectronic request; and providing the request to the associated one ormore potential responders in an electronic format; in response to therequest provided to the associated one or more potential responders,receiving and organizing one or more electronic reviews from at leastone of the associated one or more potential responders, the received oneor more electronic reviews each including at least one rating by one ofthe at least one potential responders of at least one of the one or moreattributes of the at least one of the indicated product and theindicated service; receiving and organizing one or more additionalelectronic reviews that are sent by one or more additional potentialresponders who are distinct from the associated one or more potentialresponders, each of the one or more additional electronic reviewsincluding at least one rating regarding quality of at least one of theindicated product and the indicated service, and wherein each of the oneor more additional electronic reviews is sent by a sending one of theone or more additional potential responders in response to forwarding ofthe provided request to the sending one additional potential responderby a forwarding one of the associated one or more potential responders;for each of the one or more additional electronic reviews, tracking andindicating a relationship trail from the sending one additionalpotential responder who sent the additional electronic review back tothe requestor via the forwarding one associated potential responder whoperformed the forwarding of the provided request to the sending oneadditional potential responder; and providing access to the organizedelectronic reviews in an electronic form to the requestor and to the atleast one of the associated one or more potential responders; andupdating the organized electronic reviews to reflect other additionalelectronic reviews that are received.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the associating ofthe one or more potential responders with the received electronicrequest is performed automatically by the configured computer systembased on the established friend relationships of the associated one ormore potential responders with the requester in the social networkingplatform, the social networking platform being an online social network.21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19wherein the requested reviews are further for ratings regarding one ormore attributes of at least one of an indicated person, an indicatedplace and an indicated thing, wherein the other additional electronicreviews that are received each have at least one rating by one of the atleast one potential responders of at least one of the one or moreattributes of the at least one of the indicated product and theindicated service, and wherein the computer-executable instructionsfurther configure the computer system to associate additional electroniccontent with the updated organized electronic reviews and to providefurther access to the updated organized electronic reviews to therequestor.
 22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 19 wherein the computer-executable instructions further configurethe computer system to forward the request provided to one of theassociated one or more potential responders to the one or moreadditional potential responders.
 23. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein at least one of thereceived electronic reviews each further includes at least one commentby one of the at least one potential responders related to the at leastone of the indicated product and the indicated service.
 24. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein theone or more attributes of the at least one of the indicated product andthe indicated service include quality of the at least one of theindicated product and the indicated service, and wherein the at leastone attributes rated in each of the received one or more electronicreviews include the quality of the at least one of the indicated productand the indicated service.